Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Polyester Conductive Cloth for Biomechanical Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensors

As a new nanotechnology of mechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has been explored as a new path of using various low-frequency disordered mechanical energies in the surrounding environment to provide power and/or sensing. However, the research of TENGs based on full flexibility and environmental friendliness is still limited. Herein, a flexible single-electrode TENG (S-TENG) based on polyester conductive cloth as working electrode is developed to harvest human motion energy for powering light emitting diodes (LEDs) and portable electronics. The flat conductive cloth was wrapped in flexible elastomer. Defatted cowhide was firstly selected as friction positive charge material for TENG. When the size of the fabricated S-TENG is 40 × 100 mm2, high output performance has been achieved and can generate an open-circuit voltage of 534 V and a power density of 230 mWm−2 at an operation frequency of 3.0 Hz. After integrating with a rectifier, the S-TENG can power 240 LEDs, charge various capacitors, and drive an electronic watch or a calculator. Moreover, the S-TENG can harvest the biomechanical energy of wrist movement, hand tapping, and human walking. Meanwhile, the S-TENG as a self-powered sensor can be employed to monitor subtle signals of human physiological activities, such as finger motion, facial masseter activity, and diaphragmatic breathing. Additionally, the S-TENG can be attached on clothes (such as wool coat, polyamide sweater) to harvest the energy of cuff movement. Therefore, this work provides new insights for clean power sources of skin-mounted electronics and promotes the development of sustainable energy supply for wearable and portable electronics.